By Becky Long
Publisher
The Clay County Republican Party Executive Committee is scheduled to meet March 30 to discuss and determine an interim and/or future candidate to fill the remainder of Commissioner Dwight Penland’s term.
Penland died March 11, leaving a vacancy on the five-member board. It will be the GOP executive committee that makes the recommendation for a person to serve on an interim basis until new candidates are sworn in the first Monday in December. That same person may also be selected as a candidate to fulfill his term of office.
Penland still had two years remaining in his four-year term, and because of the date of the general election, either the interim commissioner or another person will become a candidate to fill Penland’s seat on the general election ballot.
This move also allows for a candidate from a recognized party, Democrat, Libertarian or Green, to have a nominee. However the Libertarian and Green parties are not generally active in Clay County.
“The Democrat Party has been notified they have until the first week of August to get me a nominee if they want,” Hall said.
This commission race will be a separate contest on the general election ballot for the two-year unexpired term. It will most likely appear below the regular commission race, according to Hall.
Before Penland died, there were three seats open on the commission board in the November general election. Those candidates are Republicans Dwight McClure, Jason Rickett and Andy James. The Democratic Party candidate is Keyla Youngblood Stillwell and the unaffiliated candidate is Sandy Zimmerman.